Complicating attributions

Lecture 4 of the 2023 Lyell lecture series A recent focus on practices and working methods in the history of science and of scholarship has revealed a gap between the representation that scholars worked alone, and the reality that their work was frequently carried out with the help of others. This lecture series will focus on the role of amanuenses (literary assistants) in scholarly work in early modern Europe, particularly the Northern Renaissance ca 1500–1630, while noting parallels with both earlier and later European contexts. Professor Ann M. Blair will focus on case studies including Erasmus, Martin Bucer, Adrien Turnèbe, and Petrus Ramus, among others to explore this recent research.